Glass Cherry
by HauntedAngel
Summary: She's well aware that she's just a silly girl with a silly crush, but what harm could a little crush do? Haruno Sakura is just about to find out that the mysterious stranger that visits her Cafe is not so much a stranger after all. Sakura/Itachi


Well, it's been a long time coming, but here we are. My Itachi/Sakura fic that I promised during the summer...it's taken me forever to get through this chapter and figure out the basic storyline, and in between university and work, I barely have time for anything else! Contradicted epilogue will eventually make an appearance...before Christmas, hopefully. In the meantime, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. At all. Seriously.

* * *

10th March 2007

Dear Haruno-san,

** C400,** **MB, Medicine, September 2007**

I am delighted to inform you that your application to study at Konoha University has been successful and I am pleased to offer you a place in the Medicine course. My colleagues and I look forward to welcoming you to the University and ensuring that your studies and life at Konoha are enjoyable and fulfilling.

The terms and conditions of your offer are set out in the enclosed sheet. Please read these carefully. The sheet also gives the name and contact details of the person in the Admissions and Recruitment office who is dealing with your application should you have any questions.

I hope you will decide to accept our offer and look forward to receiving your decision in due course.

Yours sincerely,

Yuhi Kurenai

Head of Admissions and Recruitment

…

_Oh hell yes! _

----

**Glass Cherry**

**Chapter One**

**Mr. Cinnamon Coffee**

**---**

…_it's always possible that he's just a misunderstood, vulnerable man who suffered childhood trauma. It's possible. But, unfortunately, this isn't the case. And yes, while the childhood trauma is true, dear God, he just needs to…get over himself._

_This is a completely unfair statement, I know, but he's not the ONLY orphan in this town, for crying out loud. _

_I dearly love my best friends, even if one is an orange-obsessed, blathering idiot with the memory-span of a goldfish and an unhealthy obsession for foxes—hence the coined term Kitsune—and the other is an emotionally-stilted, constantly smirking asshole who seems to forget that you can't just glare at your best friends for no reason._

_The affectionately named _teme _is officially this close from losing all abilities to procreate. _

_Uchiha Sasuke just needs to grow up. You can't be eighteen, hot, an asshole and constantly ribbing me for my unnaturally natural pastel pink hair. You just can't._

_No, wait, that appears to describe half the male population. Oh dear…_

_On the other hand, Mr. Cinnamon Coffee never comments on my hair. I'm still trying to decide if this is a good or bad thing._

**Excerpt from Haruno Sakura's journal**

**14****th**** November 2007**

----

"Okay, that's all we have time for today. Please remember to read Chapter Thirteen of the textbook for tomorrow, otherwise you'll be lost and a tad screwed…"

Sakura got up and pushed together the carefully made notes, ignoring the thrum of voices and footsteps around her. Students were hurrying to leave, and she wanted to as well, just to get to her dorm, throw everything out of her bag and shove in her uniform so that she can just go start her shift already—

"Sakura?"

_Oh, bollocks. _

She looped the strap of her green messenger bag over her head and onto her shoulder and hopped down the wide stairs to the bottom of the lecture hall. Kakashi-sensei is watching her, mask— _what, just _what,_ is under that mask, damnit? –_firmly in place, as always, a quirk of a smile evident through the cloth.

She offered a smile in return. Merely because he was the most interesting professor in the entire university, and he seemed to have taken a shine to her, which all in all, was a very good thing. Plus, she was the kind of person who couldn't help but smile at the world.

"Your assignments have been near-perfect from the moment you got here, Sakura, but the last one was at a lower standard than usual. Is everything okay?"

Sakura blinked for a moment, then sighed at the memory of scrawling out a report at two in the morning, having just finished a late night shift and having a few after-work drinks with Ino. Probably not the brightest idea she had come up with in her time, but nonetheless, she had done her best given her drunk-and-sleepless-induced wooziness.

"Sorry, Kakashi-sensei," she said, looking very much apologetic, "Everything's fine; just a momentary lapse in judgement. It won't happen again."

Hatake Kakashi considered her carefully, single eye scanning her while the other was hidden under a bandana. Said bandana was bright yellow with blue spots today. Her sensei was nothing but eccentric.

Eventually he nodded. "Alright. See you tomorrow, Sakura."

She nodded, smiling brightly as she walked to the door. "Bye, Kakashi-sensei!" she called, and then—_finally!—_she was through the doors and into a large and now nearly empty hallway. She checked her watch.

16:23.

She had some time yet. After a moment's consideration, she turned, walking down the hallway. Her comfortable kitten heels clicked against the marble floor as she walked, a soothing distraction to the thoughts dancing around her mind—_is he going to be there again?—_and just as she stepped through a glass door into the cold air, her phone trilled out a bouncy rendition of _Hey Baby, No Doubt_, from the side pocket of her bag.

She fished it out. The screen flashed at her, the name _Kitsune _in bright orange letters displayed. She smiled in amusement and answered it.

"Hey, Naruto,"

"YO! Sakura-chan!" her best friend shouted in her ear, "Where are you?"

"Walking to my dorm, obviously. I just got out of Anatomy."

"Eeeh, okay. I started the shift early, but I forgot my work shoes, and Iruka says I can't work in my trainers, because they look terrible—do my converse look terrible, Sakura-chan?"

"Well—"

"—Anyway, point is, I need you to get my shoes from my room, cos otherwise I can't work and then how am I supposed to feed myself exactly? I can't sponge off you, you're as broke as me, and Sasuke is a teme that never buys me food until I'm about to faint from starvation…"

—_yes, your converse are terrible looking, on the account they're falling apart. But they somewhat suit you that way. _

Sakura finally cut him off. "Na. Ru. To!" she emphasised each syllable of his name because he always shut up when she did that. "I'll get your stupid shoes. Sai had better not be in, because I'm actually in a good mood, and I don't need a social retard calling me a slag at the moment."

Social retard was exactly the right term for Naruto's roommate, but she still felt a little bad after she said it. It wasn't Sai's fault he'd been home schooled all his life, forced to stay in the oversized grounds that belonged to his father, government official Danzou. Escape had only come in the form of University, and Sakura admitted that Sai's mentality would have been royally screwed if he had stayed cooped up any longer.

"I told him he shouldn't do that anymore," Naruto informed her, "And besides, you know it ain't his fault."

"I know, I know. See you at work."

"Thanks, Sakura-chan! Bye!"

Just as soon as she hung up, her phone trilled again. This time, blue words flashed out _Teme. _She sighed.

"What, Sasuke?" she grumbled.

"Charming," he responded dryly, "Are you still mad at me?"

"No, of course not." Sakura said sweetly, but her honey-coated tone probably had Sasuke flinching away from the phone if anything.

There was a moment of silence. Then, "Right. Well. Can you pass by the music store and tell Shikamaru that I'll be coming by with his CDs in an hour or so? I don't want him to leave his shift early and miss me."

Sakura huffed. _The bloody nerve! _"What am I, an errand-girl?"

"Hn." There was a pause where Sakura knew her amiable best friend was considering how many ways she could kill him. She had taught them so well… "His phone's switched off. It's on the way to your work."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Sakura cleared her throat, clearly expecting something else.

"…Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They hung up at the same time.

----

Leaf Café was fairly famous in the small town of Konoha, owned by Umino Iruka and virtually run by Sakura and other students or kids of that age. It was situated in the trendy shopping district nearby the University campus and was a quaint, charming cafe that both locals and students were intensely fond of. Sakura had been promoted to Assistant Manager when she first started attending university back in September, and she still got a kick out of it when she got to order everyone around.

It was late on a Thursday night, which pretty much meant the Café would mostly be empty. After ten, she'd be there on her own for another three hours. That was alright, since very little people came in during those three hours, except for Mr. Cinnamon Coffee. He _always _came on Thursday nights.

"Sakura, another coffee and apple pie, please!"

"Coming!" the pink-haired girl called back, as she slipped a pile of dirty plates onto a counter in the kitchen. Uzumaki Naruto, who had been stuck on kitchen duty at the beginning of their shift for forgetting his shoes, half-glowered at the plates and half-grinned at Sakura.

She knew for certain that he was the only person on Planet Earth who could glower and grin at the same time.

"How's the crowd?" Naruto asked her, whisker-like scars glinting under the harsh light of the kitchen. Sakura remembered the first time she met him—she had instantly thought of a hyperactive tabby starved of attention. He hadn't changed much.

"All slowed down. It's nearly ten, just finish these up and I'll take care of the rest." said Sakura, already heading back out into the dining area. Naruto followed her a few minutes later, putting away his green apron.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

"Your shift ends at ten. So no." she said, handing a woman her coffee and slice of apple pie before walking back to the counter. The Cafe was starting to empty out, leaving only a couple of students by the window, a business man reading a newspaper and the woman who she had just served. Naruto followed her, obviously anxious despite having had this repeated conversation with Sakura for many weeks now.

Naruto opened his mouth.

"Naruto, _go home!" _

He closed his mouth. And then sulked.

Sakura merely huffed at him.

"Hey, just one more thing," the blond said as he shrugged on his jacket and looped a scarf around his neck, "You gonna make up with Sasuke soon?"

"No," Sakura replied flatly.

"Aw, but Sakura-chan~" he cried out, "You can't stay mad at him forever!"

"Why not?"

"Sakura-chan!"

At this point, Sakura physically kicked Naruto out of the cafe, much to the amusement of the two students by the window. Faintly annoyed, and knowing she'd feel guilty later, she returned to the counter and started cleaning the area, only looking up when the bell indicating the door was opening rang.

It was him.

Mr. Cinnamon Coffee.

----

**To: **_**cherrymedic**_

**From: **_**shizune.s**_

**Sent: 16.11.07, 13:09**

**Subject: RE: Mr. Cinnamon Coffee**

_Dear Sakura-chan, _

_I'm very pleased to hear you've met someone. On the other hand, the fact you don't even know his name is somewhat concerning...also, that he's older, and merely a costumer..._

_Well, all I can say is please be careful, and next time you email me, could you possibly include even a little about how your course is going, instead of forcing me to find out by talking to Kakashi? You know he's a total nuisance when you want to know something and he's feeling rather mischievous. And a little less on how much Naruto and Sasuke are annoying you—face it, you have your journal for that, and you love them. End of. We have this conversation too many times. _

_Sorry to have such a go at you, it's been a long day here at the office. Our dearest Grandmother and University president Tsunade is being a right pain in the ass. All that paperwork, and she's done nothing! Honestly..._

_Come see me at the office soon! _

_Love, your big sister,_

_Shizune x _

----

"Evening, Sakura!"

"Alright, Kura-chan? How's our favourite waitress?"

Sakura smiled widely, sincerely pleased to see the three men. They were regulars, always frequenting late at night, especially on Thursdays. She didn't know much about them except that they were in the area for work on certain days of the week and that two were incredibly friendly and the other was, well...utterly captivating, if somewhat quiet. And rather nameless in comparison to the other two.

The older one, a rather scary looking man with rows of sharp teeth and skin that was tinted an odd blue ("It's a skin condition. Seriously!"), sat down with Mr. Cinnamon Coffee in their usual booth. The other one, blond and much closer to her own age, casually rolled up to the counter and leaned against it, smirking at Sakura.

"I'm great, thanks. The usual, Deidara?" Sakura asked, already reaching for a couple of mugs.

"Of course. How goes it at the slave-house?"

Sakura gave an affectionate mock-glare at the slur against her university, busying herself with the coffee machine. "Same old, really. You guys didn't come by last Thursday...?"

"Yeah, some trouble at work. Had to do a little over-time. Why, you miss us?"

Deidara leaned a little further forwards, blue eyes bright with mischief and lips curled in a smirk. Blond locks fell over his face for a moment and he tossed them aside. Sakura only laughed at his regular flirtations, serving up a slice of blueberry pie and placing it on the counter.

"Don't get ahead of yourself there, Deidara." she said, smirking, "Now go sit down and I'll bring over the drinks and food."

Deidara made a distressed sound, pressing a hand over his heart, "So easily dismissed! How cruel!" and with another grin, he sauntered to the table and sat down, instantly joining the conversation.

Sakura laid out the mugs and plates on a tray, picking it up and taking it over a few minutes later. She leaned over, smacked Deidara when he leered down her top, and handed out the food and drinks. She placed a mug of cinnamon-flavoured mocha in front of the third, silent man, who merely acknowledged her with deep black eyes and a hint of a wry smile.

"Sakura..." he greeted in smooth voice.

She suppressed the urge to swoon, and grinned cheerily back at him. "How are you?"

"Well, thank you," he murmured, coal-black eyes never leaving her face, "How are...Naruto and...Sasuke?"

She beamed. He remembered to ask nearly every time he was in, showing that he listened when she rambled about her day, her friends, her studies. His attention to her made Deidara and Kisame continuously tease her until she was blushing, but she didn't mind. He was like a mature, less infuriating version of Sasuke.

_And also, waaaay hotter! _

She was well aware she was just a silly girl with a silly crush, but as she sat down with the group and chatted with them, enjoying their company, she figured...well, what harm could a little crush do?

----

_...Sasuke was really quiet today. It was the anniversary of his parents' death, and he just sat in class, staring at the board blankly. He didn't even smile when Naruto walked into a lamp post. It's worrying, when he gets like that, because I know he isn't thinking about the good times, Mikoto-san's smile or Fugaku-san's look of pride. He's thinking about Itachi, his brother. _

_He's thinking about revenge._

_I never met Uchiha Itachi, and I'm glad. To love someone so intensely, and then to find out they had been partially responsible for the death of your parents? The betrayal would be enough to send anyone mad. _

_Sasuke only thinks about revenge on days like these, days that remind him of Itachi. And I'm glad, because if Sasuke thought about revenge all the time, I have no doubt that we'd lose him. _

_And no matter how much he annoys me, he is still my best friend. I need him. I love him. I always will. _

**Excerpt from Haruno Sakura's journal**

**9****th**** October 2007**


End file.
